I Don’t Hate You, Enugu Bishop Tells Fr Obayi

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Nsukka in Enugu State, Bishop Godfrey Onah, has declared that those telling the Spiritual Director of Okunerere Consuming Fire Ministry, Nsukka, Rev Fr Prof Paul Obayi, that he hates him are ‘satanic’.

Bishop Onah stated this when he visited the adoration ground of the ministry on Sunday. The bishop said his relationship with Fr Obayi “is father-son”, and he would not want to see anything hurt the fiery priest or the church.

According to him, he was visiting the ground for the first time because he had never been officially invited by Fr Obayi, even when both of them searched for a permanent ground for the ministry around 2013.

Recall that Fr Obayi claimed that neither the bishop nor his co-priests had asked him how he was going about the controversial demolition of some parts of the adoration ground by a certain Princess Monica Otta, who allegedly boasted during the demolition that Bishop Onah had abandoned Fr Obayi.

Quoting Bishop Onah, “I must state clearly that I, Bishop Onah, love Fr Paul Obayi. But I told him because I love you, I would not allow you to harm yourself or the church. But I would continue to be with you until you or I exit the world.

“Fr Paul Obayi, don’t listen to any voice that tells you that I don’t love you. Those voices are from Satan. I beg the congregation to always pray for priests.

“I once told Fr Paul to send some people to help him here to meet me in the office so we can discuss how to move forward. He came alone. Once again, I request you to bring about five of these thousands surrounding you to my office for discussions.

“We have to find a way of letting God use us so we can do the right things. The difference between the Catholic Church and others is that a reverend father or bishop doesn’t own the church or ministries.

“The church owns the priests, bishops and ministries. Okunerere Consuming Fire Ministry does not belong to Fr Obayi or Bishop Onah; it belongs to the church.”

Responding, Fr Obayi said, “We received him fully. We are of the same church. I am not leaving the Catholic Church for life. The adoration ground is owned by the Church-Jesus.”

I Don’t Hate You, Enugu Bishop Tells Fr Obayi is first published on The Whistler Newspaper